Dream Playground for Boy With Cancer

It may have been soggy outside Tuesday morning, but in Niki McDowell's backyard, the sun was shining brightly.

Their four-year-old is battling an inoperable brain tumor. Unable to visit the local playground, that playground has magically come to him instead.

It's a big day for Niki McDowell. The four-year-old was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor on the fourth of July, and regular rounds of chemotherapy mean this soft spoken toddler could only dream of a trip to the playground.

Jay McDowell, the father, says, "Because of his immunities, we can't take him to the playground, which is his favorite place in the world, so this is going to mean the world to him with everything he's going through."

Thanks to a foundation called Dreams Come True and a group of drill-toting hammer wielding guys from Home Depot, Niki's dreams of swinging and sliding and climbing are now under construction in his own backyard.

Tim Sirdevan of Home Depot says, "To see him out here and how he enjoys the swing set and to see him walking around taking a look around, it makes it all worthwhile."

Sara McDowell, the mother, adds, "I can't even believe it, we joke this would take us a month."

It's a gift Niki's parents say they could never afford amidst all the medical bills and a gift whose value can only truly be measured in the smiles and squeals of a little boy.

Sara McDowell adds, "This is going to be the whole world to him to have his own, to just walk out the door and go play like a regular kid."

Niki has an MRI scheduled next month. His parents are hopeful that not only will it show the brain tumor has stopped growing, but God willing it'll be gone.

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.